Rogers, Ginger, originally Virginia Katherine McMath 1911-95
US actress and dancer

Born in Independence, Missouri, she began her professional career as a dancer in vaudeville and switched from the stage to film after her successful appearance on Broadway in the Gershwin musical Girl Crazy in 1930. With her screen partner, Fred Astaire, she made a series of Hollywood film musicals, performing elaborate dance routines with exuberant grace. The 10 films they made together, including Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936) and Swing Time (1936), were enormously popular with audiences in the Depression. She also played dramatic roles in films such as Kitty Foyle (1940, Academy Award). She made her last film appearance in Harlow (1965). Her many stage appearances included Hello Dolly! (1965) on Broadway, and Mame (1969) in London. Her lively kiss-and-tell autobiography, Ginger: My Story, was published in 1991.